Rose Hanbury is denying that she had an affair with Prince William amidst rampant conspiracy theories about the whereabouts of Kate Middleton.
The 40-year-old former British model – born Sarah Rose Hanbury – recently released a statement to Business Insider through her lawyers, denying any and all impropriety between her and the royal, who is next in line to the British throne.
“The rumors are completely false,” Hanbury’s lawyers told the outlet.
Kensington Palace, for its part, has repeatedly denied having commented on the rumors about an alleged affair between William, 41, and the Marchioness of Cholmondeley.
Hanbury’s name has been circulated in recent weeks both on social media by those investigating “Katespiracy” – the nickname given to the search for the absent Princess of Wales, 42 – and by major celebrities and media organizations resurfacing theories about a forbidden love from the late 2010s.
Most notably, she was recently catapulted into the spotlight after Stephen Colbert named her during his opening monologue last week. On his show, Colbert, 59, discussed Kate’s sudden disappearance after vacation — which the palace attributed to the recovery of a Abdominal surgery in January – when he cited Hanbury’s theory.
“The kingdom is agitated by the apparent disappearance of Kate Middleton. Well now, Internet sleuths are guessing that Kate’s absence may be related to her husband and future King of England, William, having an affair,” said the late-night comedian. said during the March 12 episode of The Last Show with Stephen Colbert.
“I think we all know who the supposed other woman is, say it with me, the Marchioness of Cholmondeley,” Colbert continued. “There have now been rumors of an affair between William and (Hanbury) since 2019. According to the tabloids, back then, when Kate allegedly confronted him about it, he ‘laughed it off, saying there was nothing to it.’ Aha, always a good response when your wife accuses you of cheating.”
Rumors and speculation have only increased since Colbert’s not-so-subtle reference to the wife of David Rocksavage, the 63-year-old Marquess of Cholmondeley. Together they share three children, 14-year-old twins Alexander and Oliver, and 8-year-old Iris.
The Cholmondeley family belongs to the same inner circle as William and Kate, with Oliver even serving as Page of Honor at the coronation of William’s father, King Charles III, in May 2023. Photos from the Buckingham Palace balcony after the event show the boy smiling and waving alongside the Prince and Princess of Wales, as well as their eldest son, aged 10 Prince George. Kate and William also share Princess Charlotte8 and Prince Louis5.
When Kensington Palace first reported that the Princess of Wales had undergone the procedure, they shared that she would likely not return to her duties as a senior member of the royal family until at least Easter (March 31). The Palace also noted that they would only provide an update on the princess’ condition if it was “significant.”
Startled by the sudden and unusual lack of photos, however, the public immediately began sharing their concerns and speculating wildly about Kate’s true location and status.
Theories range from the bizarre (Kate is this season of The masked singer) to hilarious (the Princess of Wales has bangs and is just growing them out) to more serious and sinister theories ranging from a royal divorce or a death being covered up. It is important to note that the Palace has refused to give any legitimacy to these theories and claims that it is simply taking time to recover before returning to work.
In a follow-up statement after the initial murmurs of “Katespiracy,” Kensington Palace reiterated to ET the message of privacy amid her recovery.
“Two days ago we reported that the Princess of Wales continues to be well,” the February 29 statement read. “As we have been clear since our initial statement in January, we will not provide ongoing commentary or daily updates.”
Speculation reached another level earlier this month after Kensington Palace shared a beautiful Mother’s Day post of Kate and her three children, only for fans to quickly identify and point out some obvious signs of Photoshop and image manipulation. The photo even received a rare death order by Associated Press after the fact.
In a statement the following day, Kate forced to change the photo and apologized for any confusion the photo and amateur Photoshop work created.
“Like many amateur photographers, I occasionally experiment with editing. I wanted to express my apologies for any confusion the family photograph we shared yesterday caused. I hope everyone celebrating had a happy Mother’s Day,” she wrote in a statement posted on X.
In recent weeks, the Princess of Wales has become more visible, taking several outings, including one with her mother, Carole Middleton, in which she is seen in the passenger seat of a black SUV.
An eyewitness told ET at the time that Kate and her mother were photographed in their vehicle around 9 a.m. on the outskirts of London. “The princess was discreet, looking out the window while her mother paid attention to the road,” said the eyewitness.
A few days later, Kate was caught in the car with her husband on his way to a meeting near his home in Windsor, England.
Furthermore, she was seen on March 16 visiting a farm store with William a kilometer from her home, as seen in video images obtained by TMZ. She looked smiling and happy as she and her husband strolled through the Windsor Farm Shop.
RELATED CONTENT: